Ollie Williams, the Love island contestant who quit the show after just three days, has finally apologised for photos that saw him accused of trophy-hunting.
The 23-year-old estate owner was at the centre of a petition to remove him from the ITV2 show after photographs obtained by The Sun appeared to show him posing with dead animals.
Williams quit the show after claiming he still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend, though many viewers immediately assumed his departure was associated with Ofcom complaints about the images.
In a statement after leaving the villa, he denied killing the animals in the photos and said he was “[taking] part in a conservation and anti-poaching programme in Mozambique, a part of which involves old or sick animals being culled”.
He’s now apologised for the photos and said he “can see why people reacted to those pictures in the way they did”.
“The photos are offensive – all people can see is a dead animal and me smiling and I apologise for the offensive nature of them,’ Ollie told The Sun.
‘I knew the negativity was about these pictures because taken out of context they look bad. I’m not a trophy hunter and I don’t take gratification out of killing animals.’
Williams also revealed the ex he left the series for has “taken [him] back”.
Love Island continues on ITV2 tonight (16 January) at 9pm.
